Teaching Curriculum

Explorations Into Water

What is it?
Rain Bird’s Explorations Into Water Teaching Curriculum is an educational tool providing teachers and parents with specific lesson plans and related course work geared to students in grades 3-6. It can be downloaded by clicking on the link to the right.

What is its purpose?
Rain Bird and Dr. Stefanie Saccoman at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) designed the program to motivate students to think about the part each person plays – and the actions they can take in using and conserving water. The curriculum gives students the opportunity to explore the critical role water plays on Earth by investigating issues and challenges in water management and conservation in the same manner that scientists and engineers do in the field through research and experimentation.

Who should use it?
Teachers and parents. Teachers who are seeking an engaging resource to teach students about the need for water conservation. Parents who are looking for easy to understand, educational and fun interactive ways to bring the importance of water conservation into the home.

Is the information easy to use?
Yes. The program, geared for students in upper elementary school, focuses on water management, conservation and preservation by linking abstract ideas and scientific concepts through fun, hands-on outdoor activities and classroom demonstrations. The information is well organized and self-explanatory. The curriculum contains projects that integrate science with art; data gathering, observation, and inference; analysis of physical matter; in-class demonstrations that can be presented by teachers for students; and at-home projects that illustrate scientific principles in a manner that is understandable and meaningful to school-age children.

Why the focus on water conservation?
As a pioneer in irrigation, Rain Bird realizes the importance of water in sustaining life, and therefore actively supports and educates the public on the importance of water conservation and its critical role in the environment. Rain Bird believes that educating the public on the importance of water conservation begins both in the classroom and at home.

The Explorations Into Water Teaching Curriculum is the most recent expansion of Rain Bird’s commitment to environmental education. In 2002, three Rain Bird Rain Forest Learning Centers were unveiled at Cal Poly Pomona’s BioTrek Project. Located on the Cal Poly campus, the three learning centers add a physical presence to Rain Bird’s Rain Forest Teaching Curriculum, which is widely used.